St. Joseph, MI truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in St. Joseph: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in St. Joseph and Berrien County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Berrien County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
5.7 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 1.8 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Berrien County compares with Michigan
Berrien County against Michigan and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Berrien County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Berrien County | Michigan | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 112.9 | 52.4 | 49.7 | 2.2× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.8 | 2.1 | 3.4 | 14% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.22 | 0.30 | 0.49 | 27% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.8% | 3.2% | 2.3% | 43% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 38.2% | 17.7% | 6.2% | 2.2× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 23.7% | 25.5% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 38.4% | 21.9% | 13.8% | 1.8× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 56.5% | 44.4% | 41.9% | 1.3× the state |
| After dark | 28.1% | 20.7% | 24.8% | 1.4× the state |
Berrien County has lower values than Michigan for deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and garbage-truck share. It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow.
The headline for Berrien County: 38.2% share of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (Michigan: 17.7%).
Overview
Berrien County has recorded 2,066 truck crashes since 2015, with 460 people injured and 39 killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 2 days in fully reported years.
St. Joseph had 137 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Berrien County numbers.
When crashes happen
The worst month is January with 19.6% of truck crashes; the quietest is March at 5.9%.
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 56.5% of truck crashes, vs 44.4% for Michigan.
More truck crashes happen at 10–11 am than at any other hour (7.9%).
38.2% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 17.7% across Michigan.
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of St. Joseph is I-94, with 5 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. Next come CR-W Linco Rd (1) and Nickerson Ave (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 38 of the truck crashes here, or 1.8%, compared with 3.2% in Michigan.
Garbage-truck crashes peak in July (21% of them).
Per 100 crashes, garbage trucks recorded 5.7 deaths compared with 1.8 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for St. Joseph fleets
- Build extra time into January routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Check whether your routes use I-94, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at July schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- Icy and snowy roads show up in 38.2% of truck crashes here, more than Michigan; schedule winter checks early.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
About the data
This report uses the FMCSA crash file (reported crashes of trucks over 10,000 lb) and NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes). It reports the numbers without guessing at reasons.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Berrien County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-94 | 5 |
| CR-W Linco Rd | 1 |
| Nickerson Ave | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Berrien County) |
|---|---|
| I-94 | 631 |
| Pulaski | 56 |
| Napier | 49 |
| I-196 | 36 |
| N Us 31 | 33 |
| Red Arrow | 32 |
| US-31 | 28 |
| US-12 | 28 |
St. Joseph at a glance
| Population | 7,930 |
| Land area | 3.2 sq mi |
| Density | 2,476 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Berrien County since the 1990s
Combines the FMCSA crash file (all reported truck crashes, real coverage from about 1990) with NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes involving a large truck, 1982–2024).
| Decade | Truck crashes / yr | Change | Fatal crashes / yr (FARS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 113 | — | 4.0 |
| 2000s | 119 | +5% | 3.9 |
| 2010s | 132 | +11% | 2.7 |
| 2020s | 172 | +30% | 2.2 |
In the 1990s about 113 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 172. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. NHTSA counts 2.5 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 2.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about St. Joseph
How common are truck crashes in St. Joseph?
Berrien County has had 2,066 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 460 people and killing 39.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in St. Joseph?
NHTSA data shows I-94 with 5 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of St. Joseph since 2015, the highest of any road.
Which month has the most truck crashes in St. Joseph?
January has the most truck crashes in Berrien County, 19.6% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in St. Joseph?
Since 2015, Berrien County has reported 38 garbage-truck crashes, or 1.8% of its truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in St. Joseph compared with Michigan?
Per 100,000 residents, Berrien County has 112.9 truck crashes a year; Michigan has 52.4.
How can I plan a safer truck route in St. Joseph?
The free Route Planner takes your stops and returns a route risk score, safer alternatives and low-bridge warnings.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.